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Monday, August 31, 2015

You would think I wouldn't have to address this issue. Indie publishing has been pretty solid for six years now. You would think that people would know some of the etiquette rules.

So if you're new to indie publishing, let me tell you now before you piss off the wrong person: Hijacking another writers social media is plain fucking rude. It's a good way to ruin friendships and getting yourself banned from some sites.

What do I mean by hijacking?

- Leaving links and/or comments about your book on other writers' blogs
- Leaving links and/or comments about your book on other writers' Facebook account
- Spamming public boards with links and/or comments about your book in inappropriate places

Posting about your brand new book on the wrong place on Kboards especially will earn you a ton of scorn.

Not only can hijacking earn you the animosity of another writer, you're failing to take something important into account. Are you really marketing to potential readers?

Take Wild, Wicked & Wacky for example. The folks that read this blog aren't necessarily the same folks that read my books. I talk about writing craft, the publishing industry, and other tidbits that I find interesting (like Jensen Ackles lip-synching to "Eye of the Tiger"). If you parse through the last few months of posts, you'll find I rarely talk about my books here. And even when I do, it's only the books I write under the "Suzan Harden" moniker, which are firmly in the fantasy genre.

So when you add a link in my comments here for your brand-new romantic suspense, who exactly are you marketing to? Probably not to folks who read your type of story. So not only have you irritated me, you look totally clueless to a lot of the readers who might have looked at your book.

Yes, I know it's hard, really, really hard to get attention in the fragmentation that is today's publishing market. All I'm saying is don't sabotage yourself before you've gotten out of the gate.

Friday, August 28, 2015

When you're published by someone else, there's nothing like the feeling when you get the proofs from the editor. You haven't looked at that particular piece in ages. Even when you go through a small press and their cycle is only six months, instead of two years like the big guys, it's like reading something fresh and new.

It's your last chance to change anything that might be hairy in the text. It's also the time to make sure new errors weren't introduced. Then there's that little trepidation when you hit the send button, the fear you've missed something vital that will bite your butt when the piece is published.

Yep, I'll be feeling all of that over the weekend. Last night, Elisabeth Waters sent me the proof for Sword and Sorceress 30. The second Justice Anthea story, "Diplomacy in the Dark", will be in the anthology when it comes out on November 2.

In the meantime, I'm still scribbling away on the first novel with these characters, A Question of Balance. I'm hoping to have it done and ready to publish by November, also. Here's the link to the first chapter if you're curious.

Monday, August 24, 2015

Take away the superhero schtick, and this would be a great heist movie.

And this is exactly why Marvel's killing DC at the cinema. Warner Brothers (who owns DC Comics) has forgotten that story-telling is the reason folks consume their products. It's not about the special effects. It's about real people in unreal situations, still trying to do the right thing.

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SPOILERS

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PROS
1) One of my pet peeves is that Marvel decided to use Black Widow and Hawkeye instead of the comic book founding members Ant-Man and Wasp. (Yes, I AM that old.) They rectify the story change with Hank Pym becoming Scott Lang's mentor (consistent with the comic book version). They also give Hank and Janet Van Dyne a backstory with S.H.I.E.L.D.

2) Paul Rudd is fucking adorable no matter who he plays.

3) Anthony Mackie's cameo was an absolute riot and a sweet lead-in to Captain America: Civil War (aka Avengers 2.5).

4) The sexual tension between Scott and Hope was perfect, as in it didn't vomit out every lone hero/sex object trope used in every other action movie. In one of the very last scenes, Hank stumbles on the couple kissing and yells, "When did this happen!"

CONS
1) The flashback with Janet was too brief (though they leave the door open to her returning in a later movie).

2) The writers tried to turn Hope Van Dyne (Hank and Janet's daughter) in Elektra. I don't blame the lovely Evangeline Lilly who did her best with the script she was given. I definitely blame the writers.

This is one Marvel movie I'll get in Blu-Ray as soon as it comes out, instead of waiting until it's on sale at Amazon. Ant-Man earned its 9 out of 10 stars.

Monday, August 10, 2015

We made it to Jurassic World back in June, but the Fourth of July weekend was insane. Let's just say it included a visit to the ER. In my efforts to finish A Question of Balance, I didn't get a review written.

Until now.

The late Michael Crichton's world of cloned dinosaurs is back. Literally. If you've seen Jurassic Park, it's pretty much the same damn plot, just twenty-two years after the original incident on Isla Nublar.

So quite frankly, I'm not going to give you my normal "Spoilers" warning. Seriously, kids, if you haven't seen any of the Jurassic Park movies in the last two decades, you shouldn't be reading blogs online either.

The real highlight of the movie is Chris Platt. That man has charm to spare, and his character Owen uses it to train one of the deadliest of the dinosaurs, and fan favorite, velociraptors. He's the Grant/Malcolm of this version, Mr. Common Sense.

Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire Dearing is this version's Hammond/Gennaro, the "we'll do stupid things to prove we can" types.

And of course, we have two cute kids in danger to bring the male and female leads into the requisite romance.

The Indominus Rex was kind of cool for a GMO dinosaur. B.D. Wong was the only cast member from the original movie who made an appearance in this one, though Sam O'Neill's character was mentioned.

Beyond that, I really can't recommend this one unless you've got kids to be entertained on a rainy afternoon. I'd have been happier if they'd done a more original story. The amusement park theme has already been used. It might have been a better movie if the focus had been on the military subplot, but I'm not a Hollywood writer. *wink*

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